Ottawa – TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE – Canada Post and CUPW (Canadian Union of Postal Workers) have reached a two year tentative agreement, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed for months.
In her statement, Federal Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached “voluntarily,” but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been the thorny issue of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
ORIGINAL STORY – The Mail is still moving and both sides are still talking.
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have agreed to extend mediation aimed at resolving their labour dispute.
It’s only for another 24 hours, but a lot can be accomplished in a short time.
That is the hope.
A Canada Post spokesman says both sides will continue to negotiate with the help of a special mediator into Tuesday.
CUPW had said it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refuse to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
But the plan has been halted twice, as both sides agreed to try and hammer out a deal.
In a statement late Monday, CUPW said job action in the form of a refusal of overtime would begin in British Columbia and in the Yukon on Tuesday morning if no settlement was reached with Canada Post.
The union stepped back from that statement shortly after, saying the overtime ban would be put on hold for another 24 hours.
“We are hopeful that a negotiated settlement may be achieved but we remain prepared to defend our members and public postal services,” said Mike Palecek, the national union president.
The key issues are pension changes for new employees and pay scales for rural postal workers.
